Q&A: “An English-language anime club in Japan…”

Japan reopened to international visitors after being one of the last countries in the world to do so, and anime keeps pulling in fans everywhere, language barrier or not, a bit like K-pop, where plenty of listeners don't speak a word of Korean but love the music anyway. Today's caller lives in Japan and wants to build a club for English-speaking anime fans.

I've been enjoying the show for several months now, and I listen every day. I heard an episode you did about someone who imports anime and other pop culture items from Japan to the U.S. My idea is a bit similar: I want to start an anime club here in Japan, but primarily for English-speakers. Many anime resources are still only in the Japanese language, so I'm hoping to bridge the gap. What advice do you have? Thank you so much for your answer! I hope you can come to Japan again soon, especially now that the country is open to visitors again.

This one probably won't make anyone rich, and that's fine; it sounds like it comes from love of the subject, and that's reason enough. Start by giving the club some structure: get a logo made, and announce meetups, both in person and virtual, to see what people respond to. Talk to plenty of anime fans, especially non-Japanese ones, and figure out what they'd value most.

One question worth answering early: do members want community, or content? Some fans mainly want a chance to connect with other fans, while others want more translations and resources. Most clubs end up serving some of both, so the job is figuring out which ratio your members want.

There are already plenty of active anime forums and resources online, and connecting with them will help the word spread. Most of the work here will come down to networking and quiet, low-key marketing: getting to know people so they invite others in.

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